Invisible
by stagetrinity
Summary: Helga learns some news she wasn't prepared for: Arnold is getting engaged. And it's not to her. On a whim, she confesses to him through open mike night at a bar. She just hopes he'll understand.


A little short dribble fic..lol. I was driving my moms car and she had this Cd in. The song came on and I thought, "Oh! Helga!" Which makes me dork….haha. Anywho, there isn't much to it. Also, I decided to make this one not have my normal ending style. Just so I can say I branched out...lol

I don't own this song or Hey Arnold =)..the song is Invisible

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It was an average Friday night for her now, as she was spending her nights out alone at the bar. She didn't 'bar hop', per se, more so came to the same one every weekend since she had heard the news through the grape vine about two months ago. It wasn't like she hadn't been expecting it, seriously, it wasn't like she'd seen him since graduation. She remembered him on graduation night, all decked out in his gown and stressing as they lined up because when manufactures put 'one size fits all' on the caps, they obviously didn't test it on a football. But he had managed, and he had looked amazing as he strode across the stage to grasp his diploma. When his hand wrapped around it, her heart broke into a thousand pieces and scattered across the floor, a few falling onto the diploma. Just something for him to stash away and forget about, but occasionally pull out and think of with dusty, fond memories of his past. The girl hoped when he did look back, she'd be in there somewhere. She'd settle for the girl always on the edge of his vision.

She brought the bottle to her mouth and drank a bit more, letting her gaze drift over to the stage on the other side of the door. It was another karaoke night. They did them every now and then, and it was a big hit among the locals. It was full of rednecks singing their songs, and men embarrassing themselves as they slurred their words, unaware they didn't sound as much like Elvis as they seemed to think. She hadn't ever sang up there, but she always told herself she would try it some day. What could happen?

A sigh escaped her mouth as she sat the bottle on the little napkin, her blond hair falling onto the counter in a mass of a tiny tangles. She just wasn't motivated to put it up anymore. She found it hard to get up and go the newspaper office in the mornings to work on her articles. She found it hard to work on her poetry book she thought she might want to get published. It was all hard. But nothing was as hard as hearing the news.

It was those months before when she had been earnestly pounding out an article to send off, one of her freelance pieces. She'd been in the zone, dressed for her work with her bun and pencil tucked behind the ear. She was going places; she was making her way to being somebody. It was when Rhonda walked in in her designer clothes and heels with the piece of paper in her hands that something just floated from inside of her.

"Guess what?" Rhonda had twitted as she pulled up a chair and leaned on Helga's desk, motioning for the others watching to walk over. "So, as you know," she began with a wave of her hand, "That as our senior class president, it was and still is my job to keep up with everyone's doings."

Just being nosey, Helga said as she stifled a smile and shut her laptop to humor Rhonda.

"I was talking to Arnold the other day," Rhonda prattled on, but Helga froze for a moment. Arnold, oh her Arnold. It had been to long. What news came of her beloved? "So, in a couple of months he's bringing her down to Hillwood to propose to her and hold a ceremony here. He said he'd rather his grandparents not have to travel, and he'd love to do it at home. So of course, tell everyone, and we'll work hard to set it up. It's will be so chic."

Helga shook her head to erase the memory. He'd found someone, moved on. Well, moved on was a little strong considering the lack of dating that had gone on between them. Lack of meaning none. There was nothing. There were a few conversations and projects but not much else. Just two people going about life, but one not really aware of the other.

She turned her head to the door, her eyes opening wide as she heard the cheers. In the doorway was her Arnold and his soon to be fiancé. She was pretty redhead, sure, but she would never deserve him. Helga felt her hand clench around the neck of the bottle as she watched them make their way to a table, laughing. It was a far fetched idea she had suddenly, but it was a way. A way to reach out to him. She pushed the bottle away.

"Hey, Regis," she snapped to the guy working the bar. He directed his glance to her. "What's the wait on the karaoke?

He raised his eye brows. "Had a little too much tonight Helga?" he asked as he pulled a clip board from near the cash register. "No, I've had just enough thank you," she assured him with a threatening finger point. "When can I go on? It's important."

He shook his head at the blond. "After Mark finishes his little number right now, Austin is scheduled. However, it obvious he's in no condition to go on," he explained as he pointed to a man passed out on a table. "We'll have to cart him off. I can slip you in there. Now run on backstage," he instructed as he picked up her bottle and ushered her away.

She knew what she wanted to sing. Just a little number she had heard on the radio the other day and felt she related strongly to. She didn't particularly care for the singer, but you can't judge the meaning of a song based on the singer. She relayed the information quickly to the man with the computer and he blinked in surprise at the request, but said he thought he had it. He handed her a mike and told her to let the guy on stage finished up and march her way right up on the stage. Which she did.

She noticed when she got there that the lights were a little brighter than she had thought and she couldn't see out into the audience very well. It could have been the alcohol though, she wasn't sure.

"Hey," she said with a fleeting wave. "I'm Helga. I'm singing, and you don't like it, then just deal. I listened to you dorks every time this bar holds this thing." Despite her tone, the cheers rose up, and she imagined she heard Arnold saying her name. She took a breath as it started, clutching the mike. She didn't know it would accomplish, but she threw her heart out o him, hoping that inside of him, seep down, he would feel her singing just for him.

"She can't see the way your eyes will light up when you smile."

She knew they did. How often had she seen that spark when he flashed his smile.

"She'll never noticed how you stop and stare whenever she walks by. And you can't see me wanting you the way you want her, But you are everything to me."

He was and he was always going to be her everything. She could tell herself she would find someone else, that they were both older and that she was going to move on. She could pretend to everyone's face that she didn't care about who are what he was doing. Yeah, she was a greatly skilled liar."And I just want to show you, she don't even know youShe's never gonna love you like I want toAnd you just see right through me but if you only knew meWe could be a beautiful miracle, unbelievableInstead of just invisible."

She felt her eyes start to burn as she sang the verse, her hands clenching the microphone like it was her lifeline. It was going to let her keep going, to keep singing this to him. To have him realize it. Was he even looking at her?

"There's a fire inside of you that can't help but shine through. But she's never gonna see the light, no matter what you do."

Sure, that girl he was with could act like she cared about him. But she would never…never… feel about him the way Helga did. She would never noticed the glow that radiated off of his sweet face. The way his personality could light up any dark situation.

"And all I think about is how to make you think of me, And everything that we could be."

We could have tried. We could have made an effort. I could have told you, she thought.

"And I just want show you, she don't even know youShe's never gonna love you like I want toAnd you just see right through me but if you only knew me. We could be a beautiful miracle, unbelievableInstead of just invisible."

She caught a glimpse of him looking over at the girl at the table with him, chuckling. He was giving that girl the look Helga had so long dreamed of receiving."Like shadows in the faded light, oh, we're invisibleI just wanna open your eyes and make you realize."

Just look at me Arnold. Look at me. I'm older, I'm different. You're different. But I love you

."And I just want to show you, she don't even know you. Baby, let me love you, let me want you."

Wait, what was he doing?

"You just see right through me but if you only knew me. We could be a beautiful, miracle, unbelievable."

She heard her voice crack as he leaned over to kiss the girl at the table with him. He took her hand.

"Instead of just invisible, oh, yeah."

He stood and left some money on the table before leading the girl outside. He was gone, He was lost to her now. He hadn't noticed her…He hadn't even noticed.

"She can't see the way your eyes will light up when you smile."


End file.
